GAME OF THRONES
It's several volumes, this tour-de-force of fantasy writing. It really is a remarkable (and very long: several volumes, epic in scope, wonderfully complex and literary) piece of writing by George R R Martin, and I do recommend it to you. It's about war and love, and the dynamics of dynasty: politics and humanity.
It delves into character, the foibles and follies of human interaction. It twists between the hopes and futilities of human endeavor, and challenges every one of our culture's cherished notions of correctness, honor, and the good intention. Nobility is not rewarded any more than greed or venality. It is interesting to see what is rewarded.
It is fantasy because it is an author-created world, but it is about people who rely on very little fantasy to get through their complex lives. There is a little magic, a lot of religion of both familiar and exotic nature, and there may be dragons, but they are not the point of the story, only part of its mechanics, its setting, and logic. They are the devices of human beings, being human.
The thing that makes fantasy or even fiction in general worth reading, beyond the sheer escapism which we sometimes crave or even need, is that in the twists and detail, the intricacies of the make-believe, universal truths are revealed. George R R Martin writes and creates with that kind of depth, that kind of value. After you take it in, reading or watching, you think.
The HBO series is typical of HBO series: it does not shy away from nudity, sex, or impolite language, though these are not out of place in this story, when they appear. If nakedness offends or upsets, this is not the thing to watch. If bare skin and sexual behavior are perceived as normalcy, and not a matter for alarm and dismay, then this will satisfy. It has a lot of realism, for a fantasy.
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